


Silent Princess

by musiclvr1112



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hateno, I don't know what you're talking about I'm definitely not selling my soul to ZeLink, I suggest listening to relaxing breath of the wild music, If you want something to listen to while reading, Survivor Guilt, but i honestly have no idea where it's going, i guess i'll add tags as i go, i hope for this to be such a fluffy fic, sets the scene pretty perfectly in my opinion, that's what I listen to while writing this, there are some good compilations on youtube, zelink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-05-13
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musiclvr1112/pseuds/musiclvr1112
Summary: Seven years have passed since the defeat of Ganon, and Hyrule is at peace, having recovered a great deal under Zelda's rule. Finally it would seem that things are starting to settle down and Zelda wonders if it's time that she should settle down as well.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I blame you, Shay.

Early morning rays shone down through the tree branches as Zelda padded around through the grassy forest area at the bottom of the hill. Her hair pulled back in a simple braid and her body adorned with unassuming, warm clothes, she appeared to be just another Hylian collecting mushrooms and herbs in the early hours. Perhaps the only thing that might begin to give her away was the pristine white horse that loyally waited for her out on the road. As dressed down as she was with a traveler’s saddle and carrying some bags filled with the harvest of that morning’s ingredient collecting, a pure white horse as strong as she was a little hard to ignore.

But luckily, Zelda’s breakfast that morning had included some silent shrooms, so even if she wasn’t trying to be inconspicuous, the two travelers gossiping just a few meters away would have to be supernaturally observant to notice her eavesdropping.

“She still hasn’t married?” One of the travelers asked.

“Well why should she? She’s proven quite well over the last seven years that she’s perfectly capable of ruling on her own, hasn’t she?”

A warm smile crept along Zelda’s lips.

“But isn’t she…rather old by now? I mean, aside from the 100 ageless years, she’s got to be…what? In her twenties? A queen ought to marry by that age, right?”

Her smile fell.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, it’s convention isn’t it? Plus, if nothing else, what about an heir?”

A pit fell in Zelda’s stomach.

“I suppose you have a point there. Still, she’s managed to rehabilitate so much of Hyrule in such little time, and still has so much more to do; it doesn’t seem right that she should be pressured to marry if she doesn’t want to.”

“Do you think she doesn’t want to marry though? I mean, what young woman wouldn’t want someone by her side?”

“Well…” The traveler trailed off, their tone indicating they had more to say. Zelda leaned in closer, still keeping herself hidden behind a tree. “You know,” they continued, “there are rumors.”

“Rumors?”

There was a pause. Zelda held her breath so as not to lose the traveler’s whisper among the rustle of the wind and the chirping of the birds.

_“They say she only has eyes for her knight. The champion Link, hero of Hyrule.”_

Just then, a long, sharp whistle sounded from the top of the hill. Lanayru—as her horse was affectionately named—whinnied in return, recognizing the whistle just as much as Zelda did. Well, that would be the end of her eavesdropping for the day.

“But what about him? Does he love her too?”

Just as she was about to pick up her bag of mushrooms to leave, Zelda paused once more.

“It’s hard to say. But, I’ve heard they spend a great deal of time together away from the castle. Some even say they have a house, right up the road in Hateno Village.”

The whistle sounded again and Lanayru stomped restlessly, looking over at Zelda impatiently. She sighed and picked up her bag of mushrooms.

“How romantic,” she heard the other traveler say as she quietly walked away. “They deserve a life of peace after everything they went through.”

Zelda smiled as she hooked her bag onto Lanayru’s saddle and mounted her, stroking her mane lovingly to thank her for her patience. _Yes_ , she thought as they made their way back up the hill to Hateno, _we certainly do._


	2. Hateno

After a long hard winter, Hyrule was finally making its way into some of the finest weather it had had in nearly a decade. The light hours were growing longer and warmer with each passing day, to the point that Zelda was choosing to spend more time outside than ever.

As she and Lanayru made their way back up the hill to Hateno, she smiled fondly at her memories of what she had come to consider her past life—the life she had had over a hundred years ago, before Calamity struck. She recalled warm days—like the one the early morning sun promised ahead—locked up in her study, reading up on Purah’s latest findings, Robbie’s latest advancements, and whatever research texts she could get her hands on.

She had, of course, visited her study much more recently. Hyrule castle had been one of the first targets of the kingdom’s reconstruction plan—having been built back into the royal, pristine palace that it once was in a matter of two years. Zelda’s own bedroom and study had been one of the first sections of the castle to be rebuilt—giving her the option to return to familiarity within the first few months of her new life—and she was grateful, if nothing else, to have a place to keep all her new books. But when she had received word that the castle was ready for their return, well…

“Good morning, your majesty!”

…let’s just say she didn’t really _want_ to go back.

Zelda smiled at the man waving to her from the front gate as she approached. She reached into one of the pouches hanging off Lanayru’s saddle as she spoke.

“Thadd, how many times have I told you? Please, call me Zelda.”

The man smiled sheepishly. “Did you find anything good this morning?”

“Why yes! In fact,” she pulled a Stamella Shroom out of the pouch, holding it out to him as she got closer, “this is for you!”

The man’s eyes lit up as he took the yellow mushroom from her. “Oh why thank you, Miss Zelda! These mushrooms give me the energy I need to keep manning the gate all day!”

She smiled in return as she continued on into the village. “Keep up the good work, Thadd!” Lanayru hadn’t so much as taken two more steps before an adolescent boy and his little sister were rapidly approaching, their faces shining with youthful vigor.

“Zelda! Zelda!” They shouted. Nebb, the boy, got to her first, skipping alongside Lanayru as he spoke. “Has Link got any cool new weapons to show me yet??” Zelda giggled as she observed the way the boy’s eyes sparkled. When Link had first brought her back to this village, Nebb had been but a young boy. She had watched him grow up over the past seven years, but even as his features changed, his fascination with weaponry never did. According to his mother, he was even training to become the next great Hylian knight.

“Not quite,” Zelda replied, “but we are planning to take another trip in the coming days. I’ll make sure we find something cool to show you next time.”

“Oh! Princess Zelda!” She looked up to see Ivee, the shop keep’s daughter, standing outside the general store holding her broom in one hand and waving with the other. “If you’re going out of town again, would you mind picking up some extra Hylian rice for us? The harvest wasn’t so great this season; we’re already running out!”

“I’ll do my best!” Zelda shouted back, hardly able to stay and chat as Lanayru turned to continue on her well-worn path up to the house. She made a mental note to pick up Hylian rice where she could find it. After the harsh winter they had just suffered, agriculture was down across the land. But other villages weren’t as large as Hateno. Zelda was sure that somewhere they would have rice to spare.

Bolson waved to Zelda as she made her way through the neighborhood of Bolson construction houses. Back when she and Link had first come to live here—right after the Calamity, when Hyrule castle’s construction was still just beginning—he had decided to pick up and move his retirement spot from the lawn outside Link’s house to the tree out by the neighborhood he himself had constructed. Not a day went by when he couldn’t be seen enjoying his retirement lounging under that tree, keeping warm by the fire.

As for his underling, Karson, he had moved on to be the new head of Bolson construction, now the biggest construction company in all of Hyrule. He and his ever-growing team of fellow ‘sons were scattered across the map, cleaning up old ruins and rebuilding new structures where necessary. Zelda had last seen him putting the finishing touches on Hyrule Castle Town. Her hope was that once construction there was complete, new citizens would bring the city back to life, making it the lively, thriving heart of Hyrule once again.

She might consider spending more time back at the castle if that were to happen.

As Lanayru trotted across the bridge to the house, a familiar head of blonde hair stark against the brilliant blue of the champion’s tunic came into view. His Hylian trousers were dusty already—and gathering more dust still as he lovingly brushed down Epona, his most trusted horse. Zelda watched in awe as Epona turned her head to attend to him, no matter where he was standing—whether there was an apple in his hand or not. She knew from having observed them for years that whenever given the chance, Epona would reach out to nuzzle him, to which he would always respond by patting her neck and smiling the warmest of smiles. The bond between them was the strongest to be had between a Hylian and their horse—and one of the most beautiful things Zelda had ever seen.

She had just crossed the bridge and begun her approach when he noticed her. The man turned, and as she fell under his beautiful blue gaze, it was like the sun had finally parted through what was left of the early morning fog, showering her in heavenly light. It didn’t matter how many times she saw him, she might even say it grew stronger with time, but the sheer sight of him never ceased to put a smile on her face.

Link.

He put down the brush and as he approached her, she noted the way his expression softened, as it did nearly every time he looked at her. She never knew what it meant, or even if he did it on purpose. All she knew was that she loved it either way.

As she brought Lanayru to a stop, Link held out his hand.

Zelda had been riding horses since a very young age, and had even learned to form bonds with them after seeing Link with his horses. She was very comfortable mounting and dismounting a horse, and certainly didn’t need any help. Link, who had once followed her every move and had now lived with her for seven years, knew this plenty well.

But just as he never failed to offer a helping hand, she never failed to take it—if nothing else, for that brief moment of contact she was assured to have from him every day.

“There were a good deal of ironshrooms growing in the area today,” she began to report as they removed the bags from Lanayru’s saddle. “It will be good to have those prepared as we make our way to the castle, since a lot of those areas still haven’t quite been cleared of monsters.” Link, silent as ever, nodded as he and Zelda took the bags inside.

Their house—or rather, _Link’s_ house, as the sign out front so clearly stated—was the home that Zelda had always wanted but never had growing up in the castle. It was small, cozy, and with each passing day, it felt more and more shaped to them—felt more and more like home.

To the immediate left of the door was a small food preparation table currently littered with loose pages detailing scribbled down recipes. In the center of the room sat a dining table, always adorned with fresh flowers, and ahead, three walls each boasted weapon mounts. Two royal guard bows sat alongside the champion Revali’s bow—the Great Eagle Bow—on the left, just as two royal guard shields sat alongside Urbosa’s shield—Daybreaker—to the right, and straight ahead were Daruk’s Boulder Breaker, Urbosa’s Scimitar of the Seven, and Mipha’s Lightscale Trident.

As Zelda and Link set to sorting out her morning’s harvest at the table in silence, her thoughts wandered to the champions she liked to think were finally at peace after the defeat of Calamity Ganon. Daruk had been the eldest of them at the time—at least, relatively speaking. She supposed Mipha technically had more years on him, but she was most definitely younger in terms of the Zora lifespan. By the time Calamity struck, Daruk had already been married for years and had children rolling around Goron City. Urbosa, Revali and Mipha, however…

Warm, gentle fingers settled over her hand and she blinked, mildly startled by the sudden intrusion on her thoughts. As she came out of her mind, she realized that she had completely paused whilst staring at the hearty truffle in her hand. She turned her head to see Link watching her, his intuitive blue eyes observing her in silent question.

She smiled her reassurance and though he was smart enough not to be convinced, he went back to his task.

When Calamity Ganon had awoken, Zelda hadn’t spared a single thought to her abandonment of the future. Even after coming out of her hundred-year battle, she still had yet to think about it for even a moment. When exactly had she surrendered herself to a life with no future? To a life in which she thought of the present and only the present, surviving day to day, week to week? Surely, now that her demise was no longer imminent, she could afford such thoughts. The moment she had come out of her battle with Ganon alive and seventeen years old, her future had been reborn, hadn’t it? She had been blessed with a chance to live out her life, hadn’t she?

They were done sorting then, and Zelda found herself gazing at the weapons on the walls before her.

She had been granted life after death. The opportunity to go on, marry, have children.

The opportunity that those champions had been cheated.

“Zelda.”

She jumped, more than a little startled at the intrusion this time. When she turned to face him, she realized she had been standing still long enough for him to go make tea. Link’s eyes shone with worry as he held a mug out to her—worry enough that he had pulled out his voice apparently.

She smiled softly as she took the drink from him. Even tainted with concern the way it was, Link’s voice never failed to warm her, like a soft blanket on a cold day. He spoke now more often than he ever had in the past, and that was really saying something. Every utterance she treated as a gift, knowing that words from the knight were a rarity to be cherished.

To hear her name on his tongue was the greatest gift of all. She wasn’t sure exactly when he had caught on, but somewhere down the line she knew he must have realized what it meant to her, because he now made a habit of saying her name at least once every day. And every day, without fail, it brought the warmest of smiles to her lips.

Worry still deep in his gaze, Link nodded to the weapons on the far wall, a silent inquiry on what had her thoughts so distant. She took a sip and let the tea’s warmth sink into her before answering.

“Today when I was out collecting, I overheard some travelers sharing gossip about…well, me.” _Us,_ her mind corrected, though she wasn’t about to reveal that. “One of them thought that I ought to marry.”

In her peripheral, Zelda could see Link shift the slightest bit, but she kept her eyes fixed on the champions’ weapons, unwilling to feed her temptation to try and decipher his reaction. She knew she wouldn’t be able to uncover his thoughts if she looked anyway. The man always was and continued to be an unreadable mystery.

“I suppose they’re right. As a queen, I would be expected to produce an heir. I had, of course, known that growing up and had always planned on marrying someday. But ever since Calamity Ganon struck, I…” Her expression grew hard as she recalled receiving the news of the champions’ fates. The moment she had known they were lost, trapped inside their own divine beasts. Their futures had been severed, destroyed, right then and there. She’d known that to be true all those years ago, and in many ways, it appeared that she had resigned herself to the same fate in that very moment. The beginning of Calamity Ganon had been the end of her future.

His fingers brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and tucked it back behind her ear. She sighed as his soothing touch dragged her out of the depths of her mind once again.

“It would seem that I gave up any hope for a future the moment Calamity struck. And even though years have passed, I still…”

_Daruk._

_Urbosa._

_Revali._

_Mipha._

She swallowed a painful lump in her throat. “It doesn’t really seem fair that I should be granted a future like that, I guess.”

Beside her, Link looked between the weapons and Zelda, slowly latching onto the meaning behind her words. He stepped away then, and when he returned, Zelda found herself faced with the familiar visage of her favorite flower.

She looked up at him in surprise. Where had he even found it? She hadn’t seen any growing near Hateno. Had he been hiding it from her since their last outing outside of the village?

“You deserve everything,” he said then, and the look in his eyes mandated that there would be no objection.

She sighed and donned a bittersweet smile as she accepted the flower from him. She pressed her nose gently into the petals to breathe in the subtle, fresh scent of the sky after it rains.

“I wonder how many silent princesses will bloom this year,” she pondered. “Their growth has been steady with each passing spring. Maybe this year they’ll really thrive.”

She looked up again to see those soulful blue eyes watching her. He gave her a small smile, but inclined his head and creased his brows in such a way that told her he knew there was still more for her to say.

She sighed, holding his gaze. “I do really want to have children someday,” she admitted, voice quiet. “Maybe…” she hesitated for just a moment as she stared back and forth between those two beautiful blue eyes. “Maybe it’s time I start thinking about marrying.”


End file.
